As we packed for our trip to D.C. and all the inauguration festivities, my wife couldn’t help but roll her eyes as I packed something special for the Alaska Ball. The small gathering — which ended up being our favorite event of the weekend — had the distinct honor of being both black tie, and scheduled for 3:00 in the afternoon.
So what did I pack for the occasion?
A Morning Suit, of course. Because yes, dammit, I own a morning suit and I think it’s high time they should come back in style.
This particular cut of tuxedo is a tailcoat with a swoop across the front and is specifically designed for formal events during daylight hours. The average American only sees them worn by British royalty or possibly at the Kentucky Derby. In today’s America, a place where Senator John Fetterman and “Jeff Bezo’s Fiance” choices exist, is too casual a space for a morning suit.
A formal event during the day is rare and if it does happen, people will more readily throw on the all-purpose day or night Tuxedo — itself technically only “semi-formal” in sartorial history. Washington, D.C. however, is not a normal place. It is a place where tradition and formality still matter but tastes change with each presidential administration.
Despite his long neckties, Donald and Melania Trump understand that fashion means something. The night of the inauguration a team of Fox News contributors turned a small segment of Sean Hannity’s coverage into an extended commentary on the glamour of both Melania Trump and Usha Vance while poor Hannity admitted he had nothing to contribute to the conversation.
Usha and Melania were both stunning, but my dear Sean, fashion is not just about women making flashy statements. Fashion has history, depth, and meaning.
Don’t believe fashion matters? Just ask any soldier about the rules and regulations governing uniforms. There are literal rules down to the direction of the pleats for a military cummerbund (the Army requires them pointed upward while others follow the civilian norm of pointed down).
The morning suit was a late 19th-century development to help the wearer present a more regal appearance while riding a horse. It removed excess fabric from the front of a man’s coat allowing him to move more comfortably while still maintaining the long tailcoat protocol. The style was already popular but overwhelmed all other sartorial options when donned by Woodrow Wilson and David Lloyd George at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
Horses may be gone but the look crafted is timeless. And it presents a genuinely formal option for daywear when tuxes are considered inappropriate.
What was my first clue that this administration might just restore a bit of formality and dignity to Washington, D.C.? On our first night in town, Kathryn and I walked past Brioni Bespoke, a dealer in custom fine clothing in the Penn Quarter section of D.C. and what should we see on display right at the front window?
A morning suit!
Among male Zoomers, the push to eat right, work out, go to church, and read classical literature is booming. Could the D.C. fashion merchants be tapping into a cultural milieu that demands both more formal events and for men to actually dress like they respect the world around them?
I hope so.
My wallet does not. My 401(k) would certainly prefer if everything I owned came from Goodwill.
But some things do not deserve hand-me-downs. Some things deserve to be special. Dare I say … to be holy.
The belief in the holy, the special, and the beautiful are intertwined. A renaissance of truth cannot exist without a renaissance of beauty, or vice versa.
Maybe, just maybe, we stand upon the precipice of a new age in which culture recognizes that some people, some events, some moments, are special and deserve both our best behavior and our best dress.
It’s Morning (suit) in America Again.
READ MORE:
The Spectator P.M Ep. 105: What’s the Meaning Behind Melania Trump’s Inauguration Outfit?
Thoughts On a Repudiation and Liberation Day: Donald Trump’s Inauguration
An Anthem of Unity: Carrie Underwood’s Powerful Reminder for America
